Fredericton to spend $280K upgrading cricket field

Fredericton's cricket lovers asked for it, and now they're getting it.

The city is spending $280,000 on renovations at the Lincoln Heights Park cricket field, which will involve smoothing it out, improving its drainage and installing a brand new pitch by next year, said Mike Walker, assistant director of engineering and operations with the city.

"This is a site that was built basically as a park, was used as a soccer field at one point," Walker said.

"So there's just some general grading that needs to happen to make it into a better usable field. There's some drainage work that needs to happen, and the cricket pitch itself is in need of replacement."

Last summer the city launched a feasibility study to better understand the sport's requirements and how to improve facilities.

The city hired Sierra Planning and Management to carry out the study. On Thursday, John Hack, a consultant with the company, told the city's livable community committee that the Lincoln Heights Field is heavily used, but is in relatively poor condition. 

He also noted it's the only dedicated field in the city, and one of three in the province.

Walker said the $280,000 being spent on upgrading the field was set aside for that project when the city drafted its 2022 capital budget last year.

He said the work is expected to begin later this summer or early fall, with any remaining work to be finished next year.

The field will likely have to be closed while work is underway, he said.

Once completed, Walker said the regulation-size field will be capable of hosting tournaments.

Cricket is considered the second-most popular sport in the world, after soccer, with a large following in India, Pakistan, Australia and the United Kingdom.

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